


Run, Rabbit, Run

by Dearly_Divided



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Damsels in Distress, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hitchhiking, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Jacob is a grump, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Somewhat reluctant white knight, but also soft, non-cult AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 17:15:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20118703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dearly_Divided/pseuds/Dearly_Divided
Summary: Jacob pulled his truck to a stop. “Look, I’m not gonna make you get in the truck. You wanna keep walkin’, be my guest. But it’s at least ten miles to the next town and this storm ain’t letting up anytime soon. If you want a ride, just ask. I’m not gonna hurt you."





	Run, Rabbit, Run

Jacob wasn’t a damned bleeding heart. Yeah, the world was a shitty, fucked up place and bad things happened to good people all the time - nice old ladies got robbed and children died starving on the streets while people looked the other way. It wasn’t because they didn’t care (though they often didn’t) but simply because sticking their neck out for other people just wasn’t worth the effort. It was easier to ignore others suffering when there was no benefit for you to step in and help.

No one, not a single fucking soul had ever lifted a finger to help him and his brothers growing up, not even when they all but begged, so why the fuck would Jacob go out of his way to help some random stranger? Out of the goodness of his heart? Yeah fucking right. Kindness got you nowhere in life - it was kill or be killed, eat or be eaten.

More often than not, it was the innocent, well-meaning people that suffered the most.

The world just wasn’t a good or forgiving place, and people were more often than not, self serving righteous assholes. There were exactly two people that Jacob would do anything for, everyone else was shit out of luck as far as Jacob was concerned.

And then came Rook.

It was late, maybe 11:30-ish. He was driving in his truck along the deserted road leading out of town, rain pouring down outside when he saw her. She was alone, soaked from head to toe wearing a goddamned sundress and a denim jacket. She wasn’t carrying a thing, just trudging along the side of the road all by her lonesome in damn near pitch black darkness.

She wasn’t holding out her thumb, didn’t even perk up at the sound of his approaching truck on the otherwise deserted road. She wasn’t asking for help, and maybe that was the biggest red flag of all. No one would be out in the open in the middle of a storm like that if they had a choice in the matter, especially not dressed like that. It was mid august, and despite the warm days the nights got real cold, and the rain certainly didn’t help. No woman in her right mind (with an ounce of self preservation, at any rate) would be walking alone in the middle of the night. Especially not a pretty, young thing like her.

Jacob wasn’t a bleeding heart, he wasn’t some good fucking samaritan by any stretch of imagination. He could have kept driving, not spared a thought for the girl, and slept easily. Well, as easily as a vet with PTSD and nightmares that plagued him could, at any rate.

But that fucking niggling feeling in his gut wouldn’t shift. Something was _wrong_ and if he didn’t stop then god only knew who would. Jacob might not have been a Saint, much less a good man, but he knew that there were real monsters in the world, even in backwards places like this. So he slowed the truck up to a crawl beside the girl, cranking down the window and leaning across the passenger seat so she could see him better.

The girl glanced up, her dark hair clinging to her wet face, her eyes wide, startled like a deer caught in headlights. She was young, maybe mid twenties, a pretty little thing too. Not that that mattered, ‘specially not when Jacob took note of her red rimmed eyes and her trembling form.

“You alright, kid?” he asked, doing his best to look non-threatening - not an easy task considering what he knew his face looked like. The last thing he wanted to do was spook her, she looked about one wrong move away from breaking into a sprint just to get away from him.

He watched her swallow, her doe eyes darting between him and the road ahead of them. She plastered a half hearted smile across her face as she returned her gaze to him, nodding slightly, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He shrugged, shifting back into his seat. If she wanted help, that was her chance. No one could say he hadn’t tried, no one could blame him for kicking his truck back into gear and going on his way. It was clearly a lie, but what did it matter? What was he supposed to do, keep pestering her until she admitted something was clearly wrong? His hand almost went back to the wheel, but that fucking voice in his head (a voice that sounded a hell of a lot like Joseph’s), whispered that he knew better, that he couldn’t just leave her there in the pouring rain. He was a lot of things, but he was a better man than that.

God fucking damnit.

He paused and sighed, shutting his eyes just for a moment before leaning back over to meet her gaze once more.

“You often take midnight strolls in weather like this?” As if to demonstrate his point, a loud boom of thunder sounded and lightning cracked through the sky.

The girl bit her lip, but she at least stopped walking.

Jacob pulled his truck to a stop. “Look, I’m not gonna make you get in the truck. You wanna keep walkin’, be my guest. But it’s at least ten miles to the next town and this storm ain’t letting up anytime soon. If you want a ride, just ask. I’m not gonna hurt you, but it’s not exactly safe out here, ‘specially not for someone like you.” His eyes slipped meaningfully down to her once pretty sundress, now utterly soaked through. She just screamed innocence, and Jacob knew all too well how the world liked to treat nice, innocent people like her. Then again, there was a look about her, a glint of steel hidden behind the wide eyed unease, and he wondered if maybe she’d already learned that lesson.

For a moment she stood there, silently deliberating as the rain came down around them. He couldn’t exactly blame her. Sure, he’d told her he wasn’t going to hurt her (and he wouldn’t) but she had no proof of that. He was just some stranger in a truck on a deserted road trying to get her to go with him. Innocent or not, she wasn’t so naive as to believe that everyone who extended a hand had good intentions. On the other hand, there was no guarantee she’d fare any better on the road in her current state.

But after a long, drawn out silence, the girl sighed, and in a small voice asked him, “Can you give me a ride?”

Under other circumstances, Jacob might have smirked, given her a wink and laughed at the unintentional innuendo, but he just nodded, reaching over to pop the passenger’s door open.

“Hop on in.”

The odd feeling in his gut eased slightly as she clambered in, shutting the door behind her. She shot him an apologetic look as her sopping wet clothes dripped across the leather seat. Jacob couldn’t give a shit about the seats, or her soaked state, he was just relieved she’d actually gotten in. He glanced over at her once more as he flicked the ignition.

“I’m Jacob,” he said gruffly by way of introduction, shifting the truck into gear and pulling back out onto the road.

The girl smiled tentatively, her hands clasped in her lap like a good Christian girl. “Rook.”

He almost snorted, but another sideways glance revealed that she was straight faced. Jacob had a pretty good sense of when people were lying to him, If she was lying, she was damned good at it. A nickname, he decided, or maybe her surname, because no one in their right fucking mind would name their daughter_ Rook_.

“Alright then, _Rook,” _he purred the name with a harmless chuckle. “Where you heading?”

“Um, the train station at Elmdale?” Nervously she wrung her hands in her laps, and before Jacob had a chance to respond, she quickly added, “But if that’s too far out of your way, then as far as you’ll take me.”

Elmdale was the next town over, twelve miles give or take, and Rook had been planning on _walking_ there in the middle of the night. Either she was an idiot or whatever she was running from was bad enough that she didn’t care. He had a sinking feeling that he knew which one it was. “It’s not too far, on my way actually.” Not exactly, but it wasn’t unworkable either. “You know that trains aren’t running at this time of the night?” he asked.

Judging from the way her expression fell, she hadn’t. But before Jacob could pass comment she perked up again and nodded, more for her own benefit than his. “That’s fine. I’ll just wait for the next one.”

Again, Jacob snorted. “Not a fucking chance in hell, pup.” He had not gone out of his way to help her only to leave her sleeping out in the open, middle of a storm or not. He’d planned to keep driving through the night, put as much distance between him and this backwater fucking shit-hole of a town as possible, but plans change. “There’s a motel off the road just before town. I’ll get us some rooms, you can eat something, dry off, have a shower, get a few hours sleep, whatever. First thing tomorrow I’ll drive you to the station myself.”

With every word out of his mouth, he could see Rook tensing. She twisted in her seat, nibbling on her bottom lip, and Jacob wondered for a moment whether she was about to ask him to pull over so she could get out. He wouldn’t exactly blame her. Instead, Rook just sighed. “I don’t have any money to pay you.”

Huh?

Jacob’s brow furrowed. “I don’t want your money.”

Her eyes widened in horror and Jacob’s eyes scrunched up as he cursed himself for being an idiot. He hastened to clarify. “I don’t want _that_ either. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Almost imperceptibly, Rook relaxed and Jacob felt the knot in his stomach ease somewhat, lord only knew why. What did it matter one way or the other?

For a little while, the only sound in the truck was the quiet music coming from the radio, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. Rook hadn’t exactly said yes, but Jacob’d be damned if he left her out on her own without a safe place to sleep. If she really had a problem with it, he’d rent her a room for the night and go his own way.

No skin off his back.

They were just nearing the Elmdale turnoff when Rook spoke again, her voice quiet and hesitant, “Why are you helping me?”

It was a good question.

“I don’t know,” he eventually answered, as honestly as he could.

Rook seemed to accept it.

Twenty minutes later Jacob managed to secure them two conjoined rooms at the motel. Rook hadn’t said a word the entire time, not even as Jacob let them inside, dumping his duffle bag and unlocking her room for her.

His hand came up to rub at the back of his neck as she just stood there, unsure of what to do now. “Have a shower if you want. Pretty sure I saw a 24 hour diner just down the road, I’ll get us some food,” he said.

Rook blushed, “I - uh. My clothes are wet and um…” she trailed off uncomfortably with a tight smile, her eyes begging for him to understand so she wouldn’t have to physically ask.

It took a moment for Jacob to understand, but when he did it hit him like a ton of bricks. “Oh! Yeah, fuck, alright. Uh…” he spun and grabbed him duffle bag, ripping it open and quickly rifling through. He pulled out the only clean clothes he had - an old grey t-shirt and a pair of sweats. Both would undoubtedly be too big for her, but they’d make do while her dress and jacket dried. With his own cheeks tinged pink he wordlessly quickly passed them over. Rook accepted them with soft thanks and a small smile, retreating into her own room, shutting the door gently. His heart thumped unevenly.

He stood in the shitty little room waiting until he heard the unmistakable sounds of the shower starting. He sighed, running a hand over his face and up through his red hair, letting his eyes squeeze shut.

What the fuck was he doing?

Shaking his head, he turned, grabbed the keys for his truck, his wallet and the motel key and made his way back out.

Rook was out of the shower when he returned half an hour later, but the door between their rooms was still shut. The light was still on, so she hadn’t gone to sleep just yet. He set the food on the little table - burgers, wings, chips, onion rings, soda and some pie - he wasn’t sure what she felt like so he’d gotten a bit of everything just to be on the safe side.

“Rook?” he called as he knocked on their adjoining door. “I’ve got some food if you’re hungry?”

He heard scrambling on the other side, and a split second later the door opened and a freshly showered Rook appeared, her long dark curls still wet but no longer in a tangled mess. She looked different, her face had a bit more colour, her eyes weren’t rimmed in red, she didn’t look quite so skittish and fragile and when she shot him a slightly tentative but genuine smile, Jacob had to admit that it suited her. She was… beautiful, really, even dressed in his too-big clothes.

Rook flitted across the room to the table, eyeing the spread with undisguised hunger. “Burgers?” she asked, her eyes flickering back up to him, the barest hint of approval apparent on her face.

Jacob nodded, “Yeah. I figured it was hard to go wrong with a good cheeseburger,” he said, nudging one of them across the table to her. She sat down and took it without a word, digging right in. Jacob almost chuckled, but he doubted she’d appreciate it, so he sat down opposite and followed suit.

For a while they ate in companionable silence, but all the while Jacob watched Rook, who seemed too focused on the food before her to notice. Eventually Jacob’s curiosity got the better of him. “So where’s the train going?”

“Huh?”

“The train tomorrow morning, where’s it taking you?” he said, shoving another fry into his mouth.

Suddenly, Rook stilled, and all traces of her ease disappeared. Her eyes flashed up to his and that same guarded expression he’d seen back in his truck had returned. He half expected her to snap and tell him to mind his own fucking business. Hell, it’s what he would have done in her situation. But after a moment she just sighed wearily, “My grandma. She lives somewhere up north I think, I was going to take a train as far as I could and figure things out from there. I don’t exactly have a rock solid plan,” she laughed humourlessly. “What about you? You’re clearly not planning on sticking around here.”

The corner of his lips twitched in a knowing smirk,“Montana. Visiting my brother, well, both of them actually.”

Rook nodded thoughtfully, and the conversation shifted to other, less personal things. He didn’t mind, Rook was easy to talk to, even when she skirted any kind of question that related back to her personal life.

Between the two of them they quickly polished off the food, and when he noticed Rook long, sleepy blinks, he pushed himself away from the table. "Go to bed, pup. You look dead on your feet.”

He hadn’t noticed it before, maybe he hadn’t been paying proper attention, but he noticed now how gingerly Rook moved as she helped him clear away the mess they’d made on the table. Not slow exactly, but carefully, each movement measured and cautious, like the slightest misstep might cause _pain_. That was enough for Jacob to begin to understand why a girl like Rook had taken off in the middle of the night, during a bad thunderstorm with no clothes, no money and no real idea of where she was going. But it wasn’t until the wrapper she’d tossed into the trash bounced off the lid and fell to the floor did Jacob get his final confirmation.

As Rook bent over to grab it, the grey top he’d given her rode up just a little, exposing her lower back. It wasn’t much, barely a sliver, but it was enough for Jacob to see the purple, black and yellow bruises splashed across her pale skin.

Rage, an all too familiar old friend, warmed his blood, and he fought the snarl that itched to cross his face. The placement suggested foresight, the various colours suggested different ages - neither a one off occurrence, nor a spur of the moment act. Abuse where it couldn’t be seen, his father had liked that trick too. He clenched his teeth and bit back a growl, his hands tightening into fists at his side.

It wasn’t just blind fury that rose within him, but a sudden urge to protect, to comfort. The spark he’d felt driving along the road had lit a flame that damned near consumed him, until all he could think about doing was sweeping Rook up off her feet and taking her somewhere safe, somewhere that whoever laid their fucking hands on her couldn’t touch her.

But as she straightened back up and turned Jacob schooled his face back into a neutral mask. Rook didn’t need his wrath; it wouldn’t help her, not tonight at least.

She paused on her way out, lingering by the doorway. “Thank you, by the way. I don’t really know why you stopped, or why you care at all to be honest, but… thanks.”

He didn’t say a word, too angry to speak, but he nodded once and watched as she slipped back into her own room.

Jacob didn’t sleep that night.

In the morning when Rook woke, there was fresh coffee and a cream cheese bagel waiting for her, courtesy of Jacob - already showered, dressed (in yesterday’s clothes) and ready to go. If Rook noticed the way his piercing blue eyes were fixed on her at she tiredly picked at her breakfast she didn’t pass comment or let it bother her.

“Come with me,” he blurted out once Rook halfway through her coffee.

She paused, finally meeting his gaze as she slowly put down the cup. “I’m sorry?”

Jacob cleared his throat, but he didn’t waver, “If you want me to take you to the train station and leave you there, then fine, I’ll do it. But I’m offering you another option. Come with me instead.”

Rook’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “To Montana?”

He nodded.

“Why?” she asked after a beat of silence.

Not an outright no, which was something.

Jacob could have said almost anything, but instead he settled on the simple truth, however unbelievable. “Because I want you to.”


End file.
